There are about 2,700 unhoused people living in Skid Row and only three dedicated places where they can sit down in the shade, grab a drink of chilled water and cool down from the summer heat.
The 24-hour climate stations are spread within the downtown Los Angeles neighborhood where the temperature this week was expected to reach a high of 91 degrees.
That’s not enough stations, authorities say, to help keep unhoused people from getting sick or dying of heat-related illness.
“Maybe if these stations were like, on every block, that would make a real difference,” said Sade Kammen, of the nonprofit WaterDrop LA. “But when people have to walk blocks to get a cup of water in the blazing hot sun it defeats the purpose.”
Since 2021, the city has allocated more than $6 million for the climate stations — formerly called cooling stations — including a nearly $2.5 million grant this year, according to the Los Angeles Homeless Services Authority. The agency distributes the funding to the nonprofit Urban Alchemy to operate the climate stations.
There are three permanent stations in Skid Row (the third was added last week):
- Towne Avenue (between 5th Street and 6th Street)
- San Pedro Street (between 6th Street and 7th Street)
- Maple Street (corner at 5th Street)
But for the thousands of unsheltered residents of Skid Row who lack sufficient access to water and shade, advocates say they need dozens more climate stations to address the need.
Kirkpatrick Tyler, chief of community and government affairs at Urban Alchemy, said there are no plans to add more climate stations in Skid Row at this time. Instead, he said, the focus should be on creating more public…
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